Cu Mong tunnel to be completed by year-end

Construction on the project, with total investment of VND 3.92 trillion (USD 172.7 million), began construction in September 2015. It has a total length of 6.6 kilometers, including the 2.6 kilometer approaching road with designed capacity of 80 kph. It also includes two parallel sides consisting of two lanes each.

Deo Ca Investment Joint Stock Company was the investor of the project. Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce traffic accidents and ensure traffic flow on the National Highway No 1, boosting the socio-economic development of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces and surrounding areas. Currently, 80 percent of the project has been completed.

Laborers, along with modern equipment and machinery, work hastily at the construction site of Cu Mong Tunnel in order to complete the project three months ahead of schedule. Photo: vietnamplus

Nguyen Tan Dong, Deputy Director of the Deo Ca Investment Joint Stock Company and Director of the Cu Mong Tunnel Project Management Board, said the most difficult construction phase of the two ends of the tunnel has been completed since the beginning of this year.

The project could be completed by the end of this year, and the tunnel could take in traffic in the first quarter of next year, he said.

According to Dong, the Cu Mong tunnel was located in a relatively weak geological area with many fault zones running along the tunnel. Therefore, during the construction process, engineers and geotechnical engineers must constantly monitor geological changes to establish the proper supporting structure and prevent the risk of destabilizing the tunnel roof.

Dong said alongside the construction progress, the investor has implemented measures to ensure labor safety and fire prevention and control to monitor and correct violations.

When using a large amount of explosives for the construction, the investor has instructed the contractors to build explosive storage facilities and coordinate with local authorities to regularly check the regulations on the use of explosive materials.

Source: VNA